Saturday, January 31, 2015

SEATTLE—University of Washington graduate Jeremy Taiwo (#1 in red/photo by Paul Merca) won all three events in the second day of competition in the heptathlon to capturing the overall title at the UW Invitational at the Dempsey Indoor Saturday.

The Newport HS alum won the 60 meter hurdles (8.03), the pole vault (16-0.75/4.90m) and the 1000 meters (2:30.85) to accumulate a two-day score of 6344, breaking the previous meet and facility record of 6174 points set by world and Olympic champion Ashton Eaton in 2009.

Taiwo last completed a multi-event competition at the 2013 USA championship meet in Des Moines, Iowa, where he qualified to represent the USA at the IAAF world track & field championships in Moscow. His world championship meet experience ended in disaster after suffering a knee injury in the long jump, causing him to miss the entire 2014 season.

“It was great to compete at the place I called home during my collegiate track career in front of my friends and family,” said Taiwo, who now resides at the US Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California under former Cincinnati and Stanford assistant coach Kris Mack, who is now one of the resident coaches at the OTC-Chula Vista.

North Carolina State alum and 2013 world championships team member Ryan Hill led four other men, including two-time US Olympian Andrew Wheating under 4 minutes as he ran 3:56.84, while Wheating ran 3:57.42. Hill’s mark, though on the oversized 307m track, is the fastest in the world by 2/100ths of a second.

Texas’ Ryan Crouser, the reigning NCAA indoor and outdoor champion in the shot put, took the world yearly lead with a toss of 68-9 (20.95m), besting Ryan Whiting’s mark of 68-4.25 (20.83m) set two days earlier in Dusseldorf, Germany.

Other highlights:

—Colorado alum Joe Morris set his second straight Dempsey Indoor facility record in the finals of the 60 meter dash, running 6.53 to beat his old mark of 6.55 from the UW Preview meet two weeks ago, and Olympian Ryan Bailey (6.57) in the process;

—Andrew Bumbalough of the Bowerman TC won the men’s 3000 in 7:51.26 to lead seven other men under 8 minutes;

—Although she finished second to Liga Velvere (2:04.37), Washington’s Baylee Mires, who was injured for the 2014 season, set a new school record in the 800, running 2:05.14, the second fastest time in the NCAA Division I ranks this season;

—The men’s 800 saw an interesting battle between BYU’s Shaquille Walker and Mark Wieczorek of the Brooks Beasts, with Walker taking the win in a meet record 1:47.44 to Wieczorek’s 1:48.28. Wieczorek admitted afterwards that he felt flat, after coming back to Seattle after an extended altitude training stint in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

In New York, Rainier Beach HS grad Michael Berry helped Team USA set a new world record in the distance medley relay, as the quartet of Matthew Centrowitz, Berry, Eric Sowinski, and Patrick Casey ran 9:19.93 to beat the listed world record set by the University of Texas in 2008 of 9:25.97 (The Oregon TC squad of Nick Simmonds, Matt Scherer, Tyler Mulder and Will Leer ran 9:21.77 at the Dempsey in 2010, but does not count for record purposes because of the 307 meter track distance).

Centrowitz, who opened his season in Seattle two weeks ago, ran a phenomenal opening 1,200m, splitting 2:49.47. Handing off the baton to World Championships relay gold medalist Berry, the 400 meter leg only aided the quartet’s cause, as Berry passed the stick to Sowinski in a 46.40 400m split.

Sowinski ran a 1:47.60 800m split before Casey, who ran the opening leg of the American record 4x1500m at the IAAF World Relays last May, took over the final 1,600m. Casey finished his leg in 3:56.48 and carried the U.S. to a 9:19.93 finish

Friday, January 30, 2015

SEATTLE—University of Washington alum Jeremy Taiwo (left/photo by Paul Merca) appears to be rounding into the form that propelled him to the 2013 world championships team in the decathlon, as he took the lead after the first day of competition in the men’s heptathlon at the UW Invitational at the Dempsey Indoor Friday.

After a bit of a slow start in the opening 60 meter dash in which he ran 7.06 to finish in a tie for fourth, the Newport HS grad won the next three events—the long jump (24-9.75/7.56m), shot put (48-5.5/14.77m), and the high jump (6-11.75/2.13m) to finish the day with a score of 3512 points.

At the break, Cody Thomas of Alaska/Anchorage stands second at 3045, with Oregon’s Mitch Modin third at 3045. Edmonds/Woodway grad Alec Fellows of Oregon stands ninth at the break with 2850, just behind Jaysen Yoro of Saint Martin’s at 2892.

Other highlights of day 1 included a strong showing by Washington’s distance medley relay team of Eleanor Fulton, Gianna Woodruff, Baylee Mires, and Maddie Meyers, who ran 11:05.38, the second fastest time in school history, and certainly one of the fastest times in the country so far this season.

BYU’s Jason Witt missed his school record by 11/100ths of a second, but earned a meet record in winning the 5000 in 13:42.08.

A Bowerman TC squad comprised of Olympians Evan Jager (1200) and Lopez Lomong (400), teamed up with Andy Bayer (800) and world championships team member Ryan Hill (1600) to win the distance medley relay in 9:42.66, as the UW squad of Blake Nelson, Kaid Tipton, Izaic Yorks and Jonathan Stevens finished well behind in 9:52.89.

Lindsay Lettow of the Santa Barbara TC ran a strong 800 to overtake leader Abrianna Torres of Colorado to win the pentathlon with 4064 points to Torres’ 4002.

The multi-events get the two-day meet going at 1pm, with the heptathlon featuring the return of 2013 world championships competitor and University of Washington alum Jeremy Taiwo, who is attempting his first multi-event competition after sitting out the 2014 season with an injury suffered in the Moscow world championships.

Taiwo, the product of Bellevue’s Newport HS and won a Pac-10 outdoor and MPSF indoor title in the multis, will face a field that includes Tom FitzSimons, who was third at last year’s USA outdoors; and the Oregon duo of Mitch Modin and Edmonds/Woodway grad Alec Fellows, along with Notre Dame alum Ted Glasnow, and Arizona grad Keegan Cooke.

Rising multi-event stars Lindsay Lettow, a former NCAA D2 champ from Central Missouri, along with South Alabama alum Lindsay Schwartz are the top seeds in the pentathlon field that includes USC alum Shana Woods, Colorado’s Abrianna Torres, and the multi-event debut of Washington’s Kimberly Stueckle.

Other events happening Friday includes the 200, 5000 and distance medley relays on the track, the men’s and women’s weight throws, and the first flight of the pole vaults.

On the field, the women’s pole vault features NCAA champ Kaitlin Petrillose of Texas against Pac-12 champ Diamara Planell Cruz of the Huskies, MPSF champ Kristina Owsinski of the UW, and Big Sky champ Courtney Bray of Eastern Washington; Canadian Olympian Mike Mason, a frequent competitor at the Dempsey goes in the men’s high jump; UW alum Norris Frederick in the men’s long jump; Pac-12 champ Jax Thoirs in the men’s pole vault; and NCAA indoor & outdoor champ Ryan Crouser in the men’s shot put.

Most of Washington’s NCAA D1 and 2 schools will have competitors in the meet. A few of the schools sending groups to the Dempsey include Texas, Oregon, Arizona, Washington State, BYU, Utah, Boise State, Oregon State, Portland, Fresno State, and Gonzaga.

INDIANAPOLIS—USA Track & Field named Cas Loxsom (above/photo courtesy USA Track & Field) of the Seattle-based Brooks Beasts as its athlete of the week following his outstanding performance at the University of New Mexico Lobo Open on Saturday, January 24 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

in his first race of the season, Loxsom set a new American indoor record in the 600 meters with his winning time of 1:15:58, breaking the previous record of 1:15.61 set in 2013 by Erik Sowinski.

“Going into the race, I knew what the record was,” said Loxsom, “I knew I was on pace through the 400. Once I crossed the finish line, I was just waiting for that record to come up. It was a big feeling of satisfaction.”

The Penn State alum was ranked #5 in the USA at 800 meters last year, and finished second in the USA outdoor championships in Sacramento at that distance.

Loxsom is scheduled to race at the New Balance Grand Prix meet in Boston next week in the 1000 meters. He and the rest of the Brooks Beasts squad are currently spending several weeks training at altitude in Albuquerque before returning to Seattle

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

SEATTLE—Brooks announced in a release that the Seattle-based running shoe and apparel company has signed middle distance runners Dorian Ulrey (left/photo courtesy Brooks Running) and Matt Hillenbrand to join the Brooks Beasts.

The 28-year old Ulrey, who competed as a collegian at Northern Iowa and Arkansas, competed for Team USA at the IAAF world track & field championships in Berlin in 2009, and has a personal best of 3:35.23 in the 1500 set in 2009, and 3:55.62 in the mile, set in 2012.

Ulrey competed for the Nike Oregon Project until the 2013 season, then moved back to Fayetteville, Arkansas to train under his college coach Chris Bucknam for the 2014 season. Last year, he ran 2:19.69 for 1000 meters, 3:38.73 in the 1500, and 3:57.52 in the mile.

Hillenbrand (left/photo courtesy Brooks Running), who graduated from the University of Kentucky, was one of just two collegians to qualify for the men’s 1500m final at the USA outdoor championships in Sacramento last year. He recently completed his eligibility at Kentucky this fall, where he finished 41st in the NCAA Southeast regional cross country meet.

He has a personal best of 3:39.84 at 1500, and 3:57.00 for the mile, and also ran 13:49.24 for 5000m.

Hillenbrand was sixth in the 800 at last Saturday's Lobo Collegiate Open meet in Albuquerque, running 1:52.63, and ran on the Beasts' winning 4 x 400 meter relay.

Both join a Brooks Beasts middle distance group that includes Nick Symmonds, Riley Masters, Casimir Loxsom, Garrett Heath and Mark Wieczorek under the guidance of coach Danny Mackey.

The addition of Dorian and Matt to the Beasts underscores the team’s growing talent pool and its larger goals of being dominant in the sport domestically and on the global stage.

Saturday, January 24, 2015

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico—The altitude training stint for members of the Seattle-based Brooks Beasts is paying dividends so far this season, as Penn State alum Cas Loxsom (left/photo by Paul Merca) set a new American record in the 600-meter run Saturday at the Lobo Collegiate Open meet hosted by the University of New Mexico at the Albuquerque Convention Center.

Loxsom, last year’s runner-up at the USA Outdoor championships at 800 meters, stopped the clock in 1:15.58, to take down the previous American record set by Eric Sowinski of 1:15.61 set in February 2013 at the Armory in New York.

MOSCOW, Idaho—Freshman Tyree Fort (left/photo courtesy EWU Athletics) was Eastern Washington’s lone Big Sky conference qualifier Friday, as the true freshman from North Carolina ran 6.97 at the Idaho Collegiate meet at the Kibbie Dome on the campus of the University of Idaho.

Fort was edged out for the win by unattached runner Arphaxad Carroll, who ran 6.92. Carroll, who attends Idaho, also won the long jump with a jump of 25-1.25 (7.65m), the best double of the day.

The Eagles got seven individual victories on the women’s side, led by horizontal jumper Morena Mannucci, as the Italian national won both the long jump (17-8, 5.38m) and the triple jump (38-0/11.58m).

Gonzaga’s Maggie Jones won both the mile (5:09.12) and the 3000 (10:16.44) to highlight the Bulldogs’ efforts at the meet.

Central Washington’s multi-event specialist Tayler Fettig won the 60 hurdles (9.30) and was third in the high jump (5-5/1.65m) to highlight the Wildcats’ outing at the Kibbie Dome.

In Pullman, Washington State newcomers Javin Nash-Harris and Kiana Davis were triple jump winners Friday during the first day of competition at the 13th Annual WSU Open indoor track and field meet at the Indoor Facility in Pullman.

Nash-Harris, a freshman from Seattle, leaped a distance of 47-feet 3/4 inches (14.34m) in his collegiate triple jump debut.

Davis, a sophomore from Longview, won the women’s triple jump with a personal-best distance of 38-11 3/4 (11.88m).

Friday, January 23, 2015

adidas track & field athletes Yohan Blake, Tori Bowie, Ajee Wilson and
Jenn Suhr take a run in the adidas Ultra Boost on Wall Street in
New York City (photo courtesy adidas Media Relations)

NEW YORK—Two years after the company introduced the Boost cushioning system to the world, adidas introduced what it claims to be its most technically-advanced running shoe, Ultra Boost, at a media event in New York Thursday that featured the likes of sprinter Yohan Blake, pole vaulter Jenn Suhr, and marathoner Wilson Kipsang.

The new Ultra Boost features 3000 energy capsules of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) in the midsole, about 20 percent more than any shoe along with a Primeknit upper to provide a precision fit & maximum breathability, while the midsole returns energy with each step.

Ultra Boost also features an entirely new heel construction that frees the natural movement of the Achilles tendon. A carefully tuned external heel counter comfortably cradles the foot and adapts to the high extension of the Achilles. A new featherweight sock liner adapts to the runner's natural foot form, for a customized fit and feel.

Ultra Boost also boasts a new dual-density torsion system embedded into the shoe's base. This allows more independent movement between heel and forefoot for superior stability and a smooth, more controlled run.

The shoe releases to the public on February 11th with a MSRP of $180.00.

Donigian set GNAC records in both the 60 meters and 200 meters at the University of Washington Indoor Preview, qualifying automatically for the NCAA Division II national meet in the latter event with a time of 6.72. That time ranks second nationally. In the 200 he ran a time of 21.67 erasing the longest standing GNAC record of 21.77 by Mike Hinshaw of Western Oregon in 2002. Donigian’s time ranks eighth In NCAA Division II.

Smith high jumped 7-0.5 (2.15m) at UW becoming the first athlete in GNAC history to clear the seven-foot mark indoor or outdoor. The previous GNAC indoor record was 6-10.25 (2.09m) by Brett Watson of Western Washington last year.

THIS WEEK ON THE TRACK

All of the indoor track & field action involving Washington’s Division I and II schools occurs in the Palouse region beginning on Friday, as Washington State hosts the 13th annual WSU Indoor Open at their indoor facility, while eight miles away, the University of Idaho hosts the Idaho Collegiate meet.

The WSU Indoor Open marks the home debut for the new Cougar coaching staff led by head coach Wayne Phipps, formerly the head coach at the University of Idaho.

According to releases posted by the participating schools, many of their athletes who were not able to compete at last week’s UW Indoor Preview meet in Seattle will get their opportunity to compete in this weekend’s meets.

NOTE: The Great Northwest Athletic Conference, and the sports information offices of the University of Idaho, Washington State University, Eastern Washington, Gonzaga, Western Washington, Central Washington, and Saint Martin's contributed to this report.

Moseley will head a talented distance squad which combined for a total of 26 top-ten marks and scored 43 points at the most recent Big Sky Outdoor Championships, including four All-Conference performances. She will also coach the women's and men's cross country teams who placed fourth and sixth, respectively, at the 2014 BSC cross country championships – including the program's first individual cross country champion, in Sarah Reiter.

Moseley (formerly Gibb) ran at EWU during the 2003-08 seasons, where she set the school record of 4:30.33 in the 1500, which stood until Katie Mahoney broke it last season.

After graduating from Eastern in 2008 with a bachelor's degree in community health education, she accepted the position as the head girls' cross country coach at Mt. Spokane High School where she coached for three years. Moseley has been the head girls' track coach at Cheney Middle School since 2010, and became the assistant cross country coach at Cheney High School in 2012.

In other happenings over the weekend, former University of Washington standout Jeremy Taiwo, now training at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, finished fifth in the Elite 2 section of the Pole Vault Summit meet in Reno on Saturday with a best jump of 16-0 3/4 (4.90m), after not competing at all in the 2014 season, due to an injury to his left knee suffered in the decathlon long jump at the 2013 world championships in Moscow.

Club Northwest's Levi Keller finished second in the open section with a best of 17-2 3/4 (5.25m).

Saturday, January 17, 2015

SEATTLE—The mile runs and 60 meter dashes were the highlights of the first meet of the 2015 season at the Dempsey Indoor as the University of Washington hosted the UW Indoor Preview meet.

In the men’s mile, two-time US Olympian Matthew Centrowitz (left/photo by Paul Merca) of the Nike Oregon Project was content to let Japanese 10000 meter man Suguru Osako and Canadian Cam Levins take the early lead for the first 800 meters, before taking command with 450 meters to go, to win in a world leading time of 3:58.60, with Levins second at 3:58.75, and Stanford’s Sean McGorty ducking under 4 minutes in 3:59.34.

Shannon Rowbury of the Nike Oregon Project ran a world leading time of 4:27.86 to set a new Dempsey Indoor facility record, beating the old mark of 4:28.41 set by Kenya’s Sally Kipyego in 2012, and taking four other women under the previous meet record time of 4:39.10 set five years ago by Reebok’s Morgan Uceny.

Seattle’s Phoebe Wright, a Nike sponsored athlete who trains with the Brooks Beasts, was fifth in 4:38.68.

Before the mile, Rowbury won the 1000 in 2:40.45 over Nike Oregon Project teammates Jordan Hasay (2:41.08) and Treniere Moser (2:41.50), with Stanford frosh Elise Cranny fourth in 2:42.39, and 2012 US Olympian Geena Lara at 2:44.29.

Like Rowbury, Centrowitz won the 1000 in 2:19.53, over American steeplechase record holder Evan Jager, who ran 2:20.39.

(disclosure: Because Washington's 307-meter track is oversized, marks in lap races will not count for record purposes).

The women’s 60 meter dash saw USC’s Ky Westbrook put down a 7.21 in the qualifying round, then had a stirring battle with Oregon’s Jasmine Todd in the finals, with Todd taking the victory in a collegiate and world leading time of 7.15. Westbrook finished in 7.18, as the duo currently have the two fastest times in the world so far this season.

2012 Olympic 100 meter finalist Ryan Bailey set a new meet and Dempsey Indoor record by running 6.57 in the preliminaries, only to be disqualified in the finals for a false start. Bailey’s training partner Joe Morris took advantage of Bailey’s misfortune in the finals, winning with a new facility record time of 6.55, the third fastest time in the world so far this season.

In other meet highlights:

—Rainier Beach HS grad Michael Berry, now competing for Nike, won the men’s 200 in 21.44, over Oregon’s Marcus Chambers from Tacoma;

—American steeplechase record holder Evan Jager won the 800 in 1:50.13;

In Nampa, Idaho, Washington State’s Dino Dodig won the heptathlon at the Ed Jacoby Invitational and Multi-Events, hosted by Boise State University.

Dodig, a sophomore from Novi Sad, Serbia, won the seven-man heptathlon competition with a score of 5,297 points after ending the first day in second place. Saturday Dodig ran the 60m hurdles in 8.44 seconds, pole vaulted 14-feet 3 1/4 inches (4.35m), and ran the 1,000m in a time of 2 minutes 46.93 seconds.

The Cougars’ Kristine Felix won the women’s pole vault with a clearance of 13-1 1/2 (4.00m), just six inches below her PR height.

Thursday, January 15, 2015

American 3000m steeplechase record holder Evan Jager
makes his 2015 season debut Saturday at the Dempsey
(Paul Merca photo)

The Dempsey Indoor facility at the University of Washington opens its doors to the hundreds of track and field athletes itching to get their run, jump, and throw on as the Huskies host the UW Indoor Preview Saturday beginning at 9 am, with the final event slated for approximately 5:45 pm

All nine Washington Division I and II schools are slated to have entries in the Saturday extravaganza. In addition, squads from Hawaii, USC, Oregon, Oregon State and Stanford will have entries, while members of the Beaverton-based Nike Oregon Project and the Bowerman Track Club will make their 2015 season debuts.

Some of the best action on the track may occur early, with a stacked women’s 60 meter dash featuring Oregon’s Pac-12 champ Jenna Prandini potentially facing off against Pac-12 scorers Tynia Gaither and Alexis Faulknor of USC, along with world junior champs relay gold medalist (4 x 100) Ariana Washington of Oregon and Washington State alum Princess Joy Griffey.

The men’s 1000 meter run features American steeplechase record holder Evan Jager of the Bowerman Track Club in a matchup against two time world championships 1500m medalist Matthew Centrowitz of the Nike Oregon Project and Indiana alum Andy Bayer.

The women’s kilometer features Olympians Shannon Rowbury and Geena Lara, with Treniere Moser and Oregon alum Jordan Hasay of the Nike Oregon Project in the field with world junior 1500m 4th-place finisher Elise Cranny of Stanford thrown in the mix.

Lara is also entered in the mile, where she’ll face Camas HS senior and US junior 1500m champ Alexa Efraimson, who now competes as a pro for Nike, along with Seattle’s Phoebe Wright.

World junior 3000m champion Mary Cain drops down in distance to run the 600 meters.

There’s plenty of action in the field events as well: The long jump features UW alum and Dempsey fan favorite Norris Frederick; high jump field is led by Canadian Olympian Mike Mason; both pole vault fields features the Huskies’ Pac-12 champs Diamara Planell Cruz and Jax Thoirs; and in the men’s shot, NCAA D2 scorer Frank Catelli, formerly of Western Washington, makes his Husky debut.

In Reno, Nevada, American record holder and Washington alum Brad Walker makes his season debut Friday night at the UCS Spirit National Pole Vault Summit, where he’ll face a field that includes defending world and Olympic champion Renaud Lavillenie of France.

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Kara Winger was ranked #1 in the USA
by Track & Field News
(Paul Merca photo)

Track & Field News magazine revealed its 2014 world and national rankings in its annual issue mailed out at the end of December.

Among those with ties to the state of Washington making the US top ten in 2014 on the men's side include: Michael Berry (ranked #8 in the 400, with a best of 45.05); Cas Loxsom (ranked #5 in the 800 with a best of 1:45.80); Garrett Heath (#6 in the 1500 at 3:35.89); Jordan McNamara (#7 in the 1500 at 3:37.39); Bernard Lagat (#3 in the 5000 at 13:06.68); Jake Riley (#10 in the 10000 at 28:32.59); Jeshua Anderson (#6 in the 400 hurdles at 49.10); and Brad Walker (#3 in the pole vault at 18-5.25/5.62m).

On the women's side, athletes earning US top 10 rankings from the magazine include: Katie Mackey (#6 in the 1500 at 4:05.74; #4 in the 5000 at 15:04.74); Andrea Geubelle (#8 in the long jump at 21-8.25/6.61m and #5 in the triple jump at 44-11/13.69m); Blessing Ufodiama (#6 in the triple jump at 44-2/13.46m); Britney Henry (#5 in the hammer at 228-8/69.70m); and, Kara Winger (#1 in the javelin at 206-4/62.90m).

Over the next few weeks, we'll give you some links provided by the state's nine Division I and II schools previewing their school's indoor and outdoor track & field season.

The University of Washington released the first two previews of their team, focusing on the sprints and throws groups.

The Husky throwers are led by javelin standouts Quinn Hale and Carson Fuller, both of whom advanced to the NCAA championship meet, with Hale capturing a fifth place finish.

Returning NCAA participants in the sprints group include Gianna Woodruff, the outstanding 400 meter hurdler, and 400 meter man Maurice McNeal, who has battled injuries the past two seasons.

Added to the mix for Washington is Italian Jacopo Spanò (left/photo by Paul Merca), who ran at the world junior championships in Eugene last summer.

Washington's preview of the sprints is available here; the throws preview is available here.

Finally, Seattle based Brooks announced a track & field initiative to help underfunded high school teams around the country through its Brooks Booster Club.

This needs-based grant program will provide gear and funds to 25 under resourced high school cross country and track teams across the U.S. and Canada.

“Through our Inspiring Coach of the Year Award, we’ve been able to honor dozens of amazing coaches who build the foundation of our sport and inspire young kids to run, but we discovered there were many schools in need of help in ways that go beyond the award. The Brooks Booster Club is how we plan to provide that assistance,” said Brooks Team Brand Manager Steve DeKoker.

The Booster Club will support 25 high school teams by outfitting athletes with training and racing shoes, racing uniforms, and sweats. Additionally, the schools will receive with $2,000 in cash to help with expenses including pay-to-play fees, meet entry fees and transportation costs.

Saturday, January 10, 2015

EDINBURGH, Scotland--If the 4k distance were still part of the IAAF world cross country championships, you'd have to put him in as one of the favorites to medal in Guiyang, China in March.

Garrett Heath (above/photo by Jeff Holmes via Twitter) of the Seattle-based Brooks Beasts successfully defended his title in the men's 4k invitational race at the Great Edinburgh Cross Country meeting at Holyrood Park Saturday.

Competing against an all star field that included reigning world cross country champ Japheth Korir of Kenya, Olympic 1500 meter champ Asbel Kiprop, Heath took command before the start of the second lap of the 2-kilometer loop, opening up a 30 meter lead in the third kilometer, to win in a time of 12:11, eight seconds ahead of Korir.

Former Portland resident Dathan Ritzenhein, fresh off a victory on Tuesday at the Campaccio Cross Country 10k race in Italy, was third, followed by Kiprop.

Washington State hall of famer Bernard Lagat, competing in his first cross country race since September 2010 at the Dave Murray Invitational in Tuscon, was never a factor, finishing 15th in 13:07 under cold and windy conditions that got worse as the day progressed.

In the senior men's 8k, Bellingham native Jake Riley finished second in a time of 25:33, two seconds behind his former Stanford University teammate Chris Derrick. Riley was in 8th place at the end of the first of four laps, but worked his way up. On the final straight, Riley appeared to gain ground but ran out of real estate as Derrick, the two-time USA cross country champ from Portland's Bowerman TC took the win.

The 1-2 finish by Derrick and Riley led Team USA to the men's crown with a low score of 30 to 66 for Great Britain and 81 for Team Europe.

In the senior women's 6k, Angela Bizzarri of Seattle's Brooks Beasts finished 12th in a time of 22:32, as Great Britain's Emilia Gorecka won in 21:26. Team USA finished second with 61 points behind Europe's 44.

Seattle Prep alum Joe Hardy, who competes for the University of Wisconsin, finished 12th in the junior men's 6k race for Team USA, running 20:57, as the Americans took the team title with a low score of 14 points. Yemaneberhan Crippa of Italy, running for Team Europe took the individual title with a time of 19:57.

In the co-ed 2 x 1k relay, Riley Masters of the Brooks Beasts teamed with Heather Kampf to finish fourth in a time of 6:47, as England's B team won in 6:43.

Thursday, January 8, 2015

The 2015 international season gets going this Saturday for several athletes with Washington ties, with the Great Edinburgh XCountry International Challenge meet at Holyrood Park in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Garrett Heath of the Seattle-based Brooks Beasts (above/photo courtesy Brooks) leads the charge in the men's invitational 4k race, as he was the upset winner in last year's event, beating the likes of Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele, and Kenya's Asbel Kiprop.

Added to the mix in the invitational 4k are the likes of former Oregon resident Dathan Ritzenhein, who won the Campaccio 10k cross country race in Italy a few days ago; Kiprop, who obviously is looking to turn the tables on Heath; a quintet of Kenyans in James Magut, Silas Kiplagat, Thomas Longosiwa, Augustine Choge and Edwin Soi; and Washington State University alum Bernard Lagat, who is making a rare appearance as a pro in a cross country race.

In the senior men's 8k race, reigning USA and defending Great Edinburgh champ Chris Derrick of the Portland-based Bowerman TC leads the field that includes his former Stanford teammate and Bellingham native Jake Riley. They'll both be part of a Team USA squad that will race a British team and a European all-star squad.

The women's 6k race will see the Brooks Beasts' Angela Bizzarri, a former NCAA cross country champion on the USA squad with NCAA 10000m champ Emma Bates of Boise State and Tara Erdmann of the Nike Oregon Project. They'll also face a British squad led by defending champion Gemma Steel and a European all-star team.

In the junior men's 6k, Seattle Prep graduate Joe Hardy, who currently competes for the University of Wisconsin, will be part of the USA squad.

In a unique 2k relay race, Riley Masters of the Brooks Beasts will partner with Minnesota's Heather Kampf, as each will run 1000 meters.

USATF.tv, powered by media partner RunnerSpace.com, will provide live streaming coverage of the Great Edinburgh XCountry International Challenge starting at 5 am, pacific time Saturday morning.

Eastern Washington University recently released its 2015 indoor and outdoor season preview. as they return 11 previous All-Big Sky Conference performers, four league champions, four school record holders, and a wealth of newcomers that creates a roster that sets them up to be one of the top teams in the Big Sky.

Eastern has a competitive schedule this year, highlighted by the Big Sky Conference Outdoor Championships, hosted by EWU at Roos Field in Cheney on May 13-16.

The Eagles are led by NCAA qualifiers Jordan Arakawa (HT), Emma Murillo (JT), and Catie Arrigoni (steeple), along with Big Sky cross country champ Sarah Reiter and world juniors steeple finalist Paula Gil-Echevarria.

Sunday, January 4, 2015

After going through my posts from the 2013 season, I've come to the realization that I didn't bother to post the Mercanator awards!

With that in mind, I'm going to recap the 2014 year in Washington track & field by reviving the Mercanator awards for the top performances as chronicled on the blog.

As many of you long time readers have noted, I tend not to post much in the month of December, as I tend to focus on my family, many of whom don't see me much during the other eleven months of the year, as I'm either blowing off a family outing, not answering the phone, or ignoring texts/emails. In addition to my job (the blog is not my full time occupation), I've been caught up with that little thing called the NFL, as the playoffs begin to ramp up.

This blog was started back in 2007 as an extension of the writing that I do as a columnist for Northwest Runner magazine, as a way to help chronicle the exploits of Washington's collegiate and professional track and field athletes.

I would be remiss if I didn't take the time to thank some of the folks who have contributed text and photos in 2014, including the sports information offices at Washington State University, Gonzaga University, Eastern Washington, Central Washington, Western Washington, Saint Martin's, Seattle University, Seattle Pacific, and the University of Washington; photographers Kirby Lee (Image of Sport), Randy Miyazaki (trackandfieldphoto.com), and Michael Scott; the media relations departments at Brooks, Oiselle, Nike, and adidas; and the countless number of individuals who have either Facebooked, tweeted, Instagrammed, or emailed me with tips, news, complaints, etc. It's the readers of this blog who help keep this baby going, and I thank you!

A special thanks also go out to the media relations staffs at the IAAF and USA Track & Field for their assistance throughout the life of this blog, as well as to the track and cross country SIDs at Cal, Stanford, and Oregon for help with credentialing.

In 2014, the blog traveled to Boulder, Palo Alto twice, Pullman twice, Eugene twice, Sacramento, Berlin, and Oakland to cover events including the Pac-12 track and cross country championships, the USA outdoor track and cross country championships; the NCAA outdoor track championships; the annual UW/WSU dual meet; and the BMW Berlin Marathon, where we witnessed the first sub 2:03 marathon by Dennis Kimetto of Kenya.

We also got the opportunity to hang out with the area's premier pro track & field group, the Brooks Beasts, and toured the world headquarters of adidas in 2014.

That said, here we go with the 2014 Mercanators!

Here are the disclaimers: Mercanator awards are generally limited to athletes who have affiliations with the state of Washington—either they were born in this state, currently reside in the state, or attend(ed) school in the state. Also, not all categories from previous editions were awarded this year…publisher's decision.

TOP PERFORMER--Men's Sprints/Hurdles: Rainier Beach HS grad Michael Berry gets the nod again after winning the Pac-12 title, finishing second in the NCAA championships, and taking sixth in the USA championships in Sacramento. He ran a season best outdoors of 45.05. I give the nod to Berry in a close call over Washington State alum Jeshua Anderson, who was fifth in the USA championships at 400 hurdles, and ran 49.10 in 2014.

TOP PERFORMER--Men's Middle Distances: There were three guys in contention for this one: Cas Loxsom of the Brooks Beasts, who ran 1:45,80, and finished second in the USA championships; Bernard Lagat, who won yet another USA national title indoors at 3000 and outdoors at 5000, and finished second at the world indoors in Sopot; and Garrett Heath of the Brooks Beasts, who started the 2014 season on fire after winning the 4k cross country race in Edinburgh over a great field, then ran 3:35.89 over 1500m outdoors.

In the end, Lagat, who turned 40 last month gets the nod, not so much for what he did outdoors, but the fact that a world championship silver medal trumps everything.

TOP PERFORMER--Women's Distances: A pair of University of Washington alums contended for this honor in 2014--Ingvill Måkestad Bovin and Katie Mackey.

Måkestad Bovin sat out the 2013 season after recovering from an Achilles tendon injury suffered before the Olympics, and then was on maternity leave, while Mackey began her rise as one of America's top middle distance runners.

Both Måkestad Bovin and Mackey raced against each other once, with Måkestad Bovin finishing third in 4:07.64 and Mackey fourth in 4:08.44 in Montreuil, France in July. Måkestad Bovin finished ninth in the European championships, while Mackey was third at the US outdoors, and competed in two big international meets--the IAAF World Relays meet in the Bahamas, and the Continental Cup.

Mackey gets the award based on her 15:04.74 mark over 5000m at the Payton Jordan Cardinal meet, which was the 17th fastest time in the world, and the third best by an American.

TOP PERFORMER--Women's Throws: This was pretty clear cut, as Vancouver's Kara Patterson roared back from the knee injury suffered at the 2012 US Olympic Trials, winning yet another US national title, throwing a season best of 206-4 (62.90m), and placing in the top six at two Diamond League meets in New York and Lausanne.

This is the last time I'll use the name Kara Patterson, as she married Idaho alum and national class thrower Russ Winger in September, so it's Kara Winger moving forward!

If I had to pick out three standout performances for 2014 that I witnessed in person, it's A) Dennis Kimetto's world record in Berlin; B) Derrick Daigre's inspirational victory in the Pac-12 800 meter championship race in Pullman; and C) the season-long improvement by the Central Washington women's cross country team, cumulating with an appearance at the NCAA Division II cross country championship meet for the first time since 2000.

The best mano-a-mano race witnessed in 2014 goes back to the Pac-12 1500 finals in Pullman as Arizona's Lawi Lalang and Oregon's Edward Cheserek, both of whom were finalists for the USTFCCCA's Bowerman Award as the country's top collegiate track and field athlete, with Lalang winning in 3:36.34 in a thrilling stretch drive.

The 2014 Washington state track & field athletes as selected by the editor of paulmerca.blogspot.com are Bernard Lagat and Katie Mackey…congrats to both of you!

In case you're not paying any attention, the 2015 indoor season is literally around the corner!

We are honored to receive this award, as it comes from our peers who passionately cover the sport, and strive to continue the legacy of excellence that the late Adam Jacobs sought before his untimely passing.

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About Me

Internationally respected track and field writer Paul Merca brings his take on the sport to paulmerca.blogspot.com.
Paul was the assistant director of communications for the 1984 USA Women's Olympic Marathon Trials in Olympia, WA., and public relations director for the 1999 USA Cross Country Championships in Tacoma, WA.
The current public address announcer for the University of Washington's home track and field meets, Merca's been a media assistant to the USA national team (2001-11, 13, 15, 17) at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships.
His vast knowledge of the sport has been utilized by many of the country's sports television networks, and is a senior writer to Northwest Runner magazine. He's covered 13 IAAF World Track & Field Championships, and two Olympics.
Merca graduated from Seattle's Franklin High School in 1977, and received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Washington in 1981 in Communications.
He competed in track and cross country at Franklin, and ran cross country at the University of Washington.